Non-volatile silicones and non-volatile hydrocarbons are known in the art to provide a number of consumer recognized hair care benefits, such as smoothing, static control, color protection, fizz control and moisturization. However, those materials are very difficult to deliver in a consumer acceptable or efficacious manner to the hair in their concentrated form or when they are added to a formulation in their concentrated form.
Current technology utilizes volatile cyclic siloxanes, volatile linear siloxanes or volatile hydrocarbons as carriers for high viscosity linear polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) materials or non-volatile hydrocarbons. These materials can have a number of undesirable attributes as carriers. Specifically, they may not be cost effective, they do not provide the best vehicle for delivery of the high viscosity PDMS (as seen by decreased performance in terms of the above-mentioned attributes), and they are currently regulated or under increased scrutiny by governmental health and environmental organizations. Current compositions utilize high viscosity polydimethylsiloxanes in volatile compounds, such as cyclopentasiloxane, cyclomethicone, low molecular weight polydimethylsiloxanes, or low molecular weight hydrocarbons, such as isododecane or isoparaffins. While these compositions may be the best available, they are not particularly effective in delivering the benefits which can be provided by these high viscosity PDMS materials.
Thus, there is a recognized need to find a delivery system which is useful for delivering the hair care benefits of high viscosity linear polydimethylsiloxane materials and non-volatile hydrocarbons. That is the focus of the present invention. Specifically, the present invention provides hair conditioning compositions, incorporating high viscosity non-volatile silicone and hydrocarbon materials, which may be delivered “neat” for applications such as, but not limited to, hair serums and hair shine sprays, or may be added as a “premix” to known hair care compositions, such as conditioners, styling creams, hair lotions, hair moisturizers, hair colors, permanent wave compositions or styling gels, in order to effectively deliver the benefits which are seen with such materials. Additionally, the compositions of the present invention maintain clarity and show no separation upon standing, remaining a flowable liquid at room temperature.